15310/Sinisterly Deviant

Sinisterly Deviant
Date of Scene:	09 July 2023
Location:	New York Convention Center
Synopsis:	A group of mixed mutants and monsters show up at a genetics conference where Essex Corporation has setup a booth. Observation turns to a fight as it's not Mister Sinister who shows up, but something Deviant. Guest Starring Doctor Curt Conners!
Cast of Characters:	Monet St. Croix, Charles Xavier, Scott Summers, Gabby Kinney, Lydia Dietrich, Cable, Douglas Ramsey, Jamie Madrox
Tinyplot:	Something Sinister This Way Comes

---

Monet St. Croix has posed:
A large genetics conference is going where dozens of companies are making presentations throughout the exhibit hall. There are talks on recent advances in gene splicing, genetic treatments, and many other things. Presentations are being made, numerous panels are taking place, and the second day is in full swing.
    Finishing a panel is Doctor Curt Conners, wearing a labcoat with one arm tied off. And escorted by a trio of guards from Alchemax.

Charles Xavier has posed:
Being that this conference was specifically set in the field of stufy that Professor Charles Xavier had dedicated his life toward, needless to say the Professor is in attendance here this afternoon. Additionally, he's not in a wheelchair like so many in the field would expect him to be, as he has been for so many years. No, today Charles is walking like any other person. A lot of questions have been asked of him about it prior to the speaking presentations, and Charles simply answered the questions with a soft smile, and a simplistic variation of "Technology is an amazing thing."

Dressed in a fine three piece suit, Charles has been making the rounds with familiar colleagues in the field, engaging in numerous casual conversations both related to the subject-at-hand, and to touch on personal subjects such as Xaviers School itself.

It's been a lovely day thus far, and the 88 year old Professor seems to be in good spirits.

He'd asked Scott to join him today as well, and has been introducing Scott to everyone and anyone that they've interacted with so far today.

Scott Summers has posed:
Genetics Conference?

Sounds to one Scott Summers as the place to be where people directly affected by genetics may yet make an appearance. At the side of the professor in a fine suit, colored black, with a black button up underneath and a red tie. Over his eyes is his pair of ruby-quartz sunglasses, seemingly comfortable enough wearing the shades indoors. He stays close to the brilliant geneticist, his eyes searching the area.

"Until it tries to kill you."

Forever a pessimist. Scott always saw technology as a double-edged sword. It can help, but it seems to just be another avenue to harm. He keeps his hands clasped in front of him, acting as both security guard and company to Charles.

"But I will say, Professor, that I hope you'll do all the talking."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
There were two labs of note that had pinged on the radar of one who had been harmed in the past by both: Alchemax and Essex. Long ago Gabby had set up her phone to follow news alerts on both of them so that she could attempt to keep tabs on them at least marginally. Hearing of the conference meant she wanted in, to look around, and see what she could learn.

She didn't expect it to be much given this was their 'public' face, but it never hurt to keep aware of things, either.

With the careful application of makeup she managed to hide the scars on her face as well as add a few years to her age making her seem more in her early twenties than the eighteen years she'd lived so far. That, along with a change in hair color from black to a crisply cut short blonde meant she looked very little like the escaped project Alchemax had once 'lost.'

Maybe some of the others here wouldn't recognize her either. She makes her way from booth to booth collecting what pamphlets they had to offer as if she were actually interested in it. Otherwise she just looked like any other college student here for extra credit on courses.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia isn't here for herself. Rather, she's here with her mother, who is one of the top paid neurosurgeons in the US. There's a talk about gene therapy for Alzheimer's that's of particular interest to her mother and Lydia is just here for the ride. Maybe make a few contacts, for herself. Add some people to her network of blood donors that she jokingly calls her 'harem.'

    No such luck so far. Right now she's got that thousand yard stare going on while a guy is yammering on about advances in gene modification for bananas. Did you know that all bananas are clones of each other and lack any kind of genetic diversity? She does now. She's had years of training on how to tune people like this out, knowing when to nod, when to declare something or other they said was 'fascinating.'

    Today she's remembered to warm herself up, get her heart pumping, and in general disguise herself as somebody living. Her skin tone is still rather pale, but at least it isn't its usual ivory white. She's dressed in a peach summer dress with embroidered flowers flowing around the hem, and her very curly black hair tied up in a bun. As always she's surrounded by a field of stars, twinkling in and out of existence, a visible sign that she's a mutant.

    Spying Gabby here is something of a surprise but a welcome one nonetheless. "Excuse me," she tells the banana man. "I just found somebody more interesting to talk to." With that dismissal she wanders over to the smaller mutant and gives her a genuine grin. The first one she's given this evening. "Hey, Gabby. Didn't expect to see you here."

Cable has posed:
While a certain mutant soldier from the future has a great deal on his agenda as of late, he has the opportunity to gather first hand intel from this genetics conference instead of mostly relying on second-hand reports.

As a general rule, Cable tends to pick out missions that usually require a more... direct and forceful approach. Which in his case tends to mean lots of gunfire and explosives. But his current efforts to get to John Sublime have necessitated that he and his team take a slightly more, subtle, undercover approach, resulting in him putting suitable 'legends' together for all of them.

In his case, a wealthy investor, particularly interested in cutting edge technology and genetics engineering, all in pursuit of his supposed support for Sublime's Transhumanist efforts. So far, choosing an approach that doesn't just involve blowing everything to hell has paid off for him and the team.

So why not duplicate it again?

There is no way to be certain that any Transhumanist sympathizers will be present at this conference, but even if there aren't it is never a bad idea to keep an eye out for other potential threats to mutants. Surely it would be no surprise to anyone that knows him -- or at least knows /of/ him -- that Nathan Summers keeps a list.

Just like Santa Claus.

But everyone on it is naughty. And when he comes to visit, it isn't just coal in a stocking that he's leaving behind.

So he wanders the conference looking quite different then usual, his customary battle gear nowhere in evidence. Instead he wears an expensive looking dark suit and mirrored sunglasses. He even carries a briefcase instead of a backpack full of weapons -- though it seems a safe bet that said case also holds some weapons in it.

And he is sadly lacking in pouches.

There's a reason why Cable is fond of the direct approach to problem solving. There's a lot fewer ties involved and a lot more explosions.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The nearly ninety year old man is getting smiles from the crowd of passerby and even the occasional requests for autographs. A few reporters are asking questions in the background, and one of them, a nebbish looking dark haired nerd is doing his best to handle a tape recorder while trying to ask questions.

"Uh, Ms Renko," the young man would ask..
    THe woman, of extremely pale skin with dark red eyes and a small red stone inlaid in the center of her forehead would snap, "/Doctor/ Renko. And it's lovely to see the Bugle cares so much about my work to have a rambling intern sent."
    Said intern, named Phil, would go, "Miss.. I mean Doctor Renko, I'm sorry, of course you're important.." Several more harrangues would be sent his way.
    The one armed man and the trio of guards with him would be passing on by Charles and Scott. Doctor Conners would break out in a smile, "Professor Xavier, pleased to see you." Going to approach.. Right as one of the guards would move in front of him to raise a hand to stop him.
    Gabby would recognize the woman that was laying onto the Bugle intern as someone known to subcontract for Essex Corporation, so likely among the ones she was watching very closely. As Lydia goes towards Gabby, another man (that is not the banana man) would take the place of the banana man, "Humanity has practiced genetic manipulation ever since the start of organized agriculture. Trying to improve yields of crops.. With animals, trying to breed better horses and dogs.. According to discoveries.." Lecturing pedantically as he and banana man would hopefully fade out into the background.

Cable stands tall and stands out. As he passes by a punk with a mohawk, several dozen piercings along his face, and wearing a leather jacket styled as a labcoatw ould quip, "That's heavy metal man." While flipping his old style boom box on to play louder while chatting with his mates about lasers that made killer animals. As he goes back to swapping talk with his mates about killer animals.

Charles Xavier has posed:
Charles was happily signing any autographs requested of him, though it was an unusual thing for the Professor, thus it was the kind of thing to light up his facial expressions in happy ways. He'd leave a little quote beneath the signatures from some of his various favorite books on genetics as a little bonus too.

Charles let his eyes roam the convention center for a moment, picking up on familiar personalities floating around the room without actually trying to invade their privacy. He knew that Ms Kinney was here, though she seemed to want anonymity which Charles would yield to her unless she approached him during the event.

Otherwise, Charles just kept conversing up to the arrival of Doctor Conners. He was in the process of extending his right hand to the other man when they were cut off by the guard.

Charles would glance toward Scott on his left, then back to Conners, who he would nod softly once to. "It has been quite a day, Doctor Conners. I must say, I have enjoyed it."

Motioning to his left. "This is Scott Summers, one of our finest teachers at Xaviers School."

Scott Summers has posed:
"A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Conners."

Scott extends a hand to offer it to the good doctor. "Your work is fascinating. I'm still learning about genetics but I've read up on quite a bit of your work." Scott offers to the man and as soon as the shake was done, he clears his throat and he backs away.

His eyes searc hteh premesis, and he noticves Cable standing tall and out.

A soft sigh touches his features, but he says nothing. This is gonna get awkward, isn't it? Or maybe not.

Otherwise, he has his full attention on the two guards /with/ Dr. Conners. He takes his role quite seriously.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
When dealing with Nathaniel Essex or any of his get, you can't rely on powers like telepathy to help you anticipate danger; you need to extend you powers of detection into other realms. That's why Doug's here, wearing a button-down shirt, glasses, and carrying a leather laptop satchel. He looks like any other nerd in the crowd.

What he's really doing is scanning for the changes in behavior that indicate oncoming danger from cunningly hidden killer androids or mindless genetic abominations or Manchurian Candidates.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Amidst the crowd of unfamiliar people it was hard at times for Gabby to pick out familiar scents. Though there were a few tickling at the back of her awareness. Especially when Lydia approaches.

She finishes gathering up some pamphlets from a booth declaring they were looking to improve the awareness of GMO's (maybe this was banana mans booth?) to turn finding herself face to face with her friend. She grins, reaching up to touch her hair just habitually but finding it far shorter than she was accustomed to thanks to her disguise.

"Lyds! Great to see you," she offers keeping her voice a touch quieter than usual. The remark of not expecting her earns a nod. "This isn't really my gig, but..." The smile fades to a bit more serious an expression. Without saying much more she steps close to her friend to link her arm with the others as she turns toward a set of booths she was keeping a careful distance from. Her chin lifts to indicate the first.

"Alchemax," she explains quietly. "Is the lab that made me." The other earns a little sideways tip of her head over toward where the woman was being harranged by the intern reporter.

"And Essex..." The grip on Lydia's arm tightens unexpectedly as Gabby's gaze falls on the doctor. On that red stone on her forehead.

The words she had meant to share are suddenly forgotten as she just stares, openly. Why did that woman have that stone? That was just like ...

Rage, fear, hate, panic. The sudden flood of emotions she'd *thought* she had control of start to boil over until she's grasping Lydia's arm so tight that her fingernails may be digging into her friend's skin unintentionally. Her eyes squeeze shut tight as she just focuses on her breathing using poor Lydia as a means to keep her balance.

Jamie Madrox has posed:
As Jamie Madrox stepped into the bustling conference hall, he paused, absorbing the hum of intellectual activity surrounding him. The air was ripe with anticipation, carrying the scent of freshly brewed coffee, stacks of printed reports, and the underlying current of collective knowledge that was to be shared. Rows upon rows of attendees were busy setting up their respective booths, exchanging professional greetings, and diving into spontaneous debates about genetic ethics and the latest breakthroughs in genomic medicine.

Madrox navigated through the crowded hall, his sharp eyes skimming over the numerous displays, noting the advancements and ideas brought forth by professionals from across the industry. He takes a moment to consider sending a dupe to school for genetics. He pauses and runs his hand through his unruly brown hair. His brown eyes blink. "Wait... did I already do that?"

Shrugging to himself, he resumes his prowl, nose to the ground for trouble or opportunity.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia carefully schools her expression when it's explained to her that Alchemax is the company responsible for Gabby. While she treasures Gabby, the method of her coming into being was less than savory. She rests a hand on the hand that's got a death grip on her arm.

    "Just breathe," she says quietly, taking deep breaths with Gabby. "It's okay. It'd be foolish for Essex to do anything with this many people around. Besides it looks like Professor Xavier and Mr. Summers is here, so we've got backup."

    She honestly doesn't know much about Essex save what Gabby has told her about them so she watches the woman like a hawk. "She looks like a vampire," she comments. Ironic.

Cable has posed:
There are no shortage of displays or booths putting on their little presentations or offering literature for interested passersby, though clearly, and while the smaller rooms might be used for chats put on by the various companies and experts in attendance, the main stage is clearly reserved for the powerhouses in the field. That is likely to garner most of the attention.

While Cable may indeed make his way over in that direction sooner or later, he is not exactly in a rush to get there, taking his time to stop and browse the pamphlets laids out at the various booths, or watch the narrated presentations on small monitors -- all designed to catch the eye and interest of the attendees. And while they might not hold the cache of the giants in the industry, or of some of the top minds that will be speaking, Cable knows all too well the dangers of dismissing something just because it's in it's infant stage.

It is actually quite the diverse cross-section of people gathered, more then just the scholarly types that one would expect and while the greeting from the mohawked punk doesn't seem to phase him, his mouth does settle into a thin line at the blaring, obnoxious music.

He can appreciate a good piece of retro-tech as much as the next time traveller, but somethings are just beyond the pale.

"You have no idea," Cable replies quietly as the man turns away. Then promptly reaches out with that metal arm, squeezing at a cluster of nerves in his shoulder until he abruptly goes limp. Then, never taking his eyes off the men he was speaking to, reaches over and casually turns off that boom box.

Like has been noted before, Cable does prefer the direct approach to problem solving. Diplomacy is for wimps.

Turning away, he continues to stroll through convention. If he has taken notice of Scott, Charles or any of the others familair to him he certainly gives no sign of it. Given who he is though it seems... unlikely that he is unaware of those present.

Again, he's probably putting a mental list together.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
As the attendees go to spread out and the mutants keep an eye out, Curt smiles at Scott, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Scott. Teaching, the noblest profession. In Professor Xavier you've had the best possible mentor." As he manages to move just enough out of the way of the guard to be able to shake Scott's hand. "I'd love to stay and chat, but my minders.." The three guards would move around him. "Would prefer I not. The duties of parole. A pleasure to see you, Professor Xavier, Scott."

The guards not quite dragging him away but definitely moving to nudge him along. Right as he's moving to pass by Gabby and his eyes go wide, "Hey, you all right?" As the girl looks ofr just a moment like she's having a seizure. Before he can go closer one of the guards grabs him by his shoulder. Hard. He stumbles and nearly falls.

And the woman with the red jewel in the middle of her forehead would snap and pull away from Phil, "Get out of my way, intern." she gives him a shove and shoulders on past him, which has her heading in the direction of Douglas and Jamie. A small tag on the front of her shirt having hte corporate insignia of Essex Corporation.

The other people that are around the punk with the ghetto blaster just watch as Nate goes to give him a solid chop over on the shoulder. Then they go to break out over in applause as it goes quiet and one offers to get him a beer after and another goes to offer him a joint. Definitely a relaxed crowd.

Things seem relatively normal so far - corporate goons keeping a leash on Doctor Conners, extremely creepy woman that is clearly working for someone nefarious..

Charles Xavier has posed:
Charles doesn't need telepathy to convey to Scott that something about the guards around Conners is unsettling. Once the Doctor parts from them, the Professor gives Scott a sidelong glance, and a look denoting his feelings on that interaction before he steps onward.

Whatever is allowing Charles to walk today, is allowing the 88 year old man to move like he's 40+ years younger. He seems agile, strong, and not at all frail like someone at his age would be expected to.

"Ah, Scott. I want to speak to Doctor Huberman before we leave, let us try to make our way..."

Charles affords a look over his right shoulder then toward where Gabby is, before he exhales lightly and regards Scott once more.

'Something feels off about that group.' Charles tells Scott now through a mental link between the two men.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug stands with his hands in his pockets, and then he looks up at Jamie - the corner of his mouth curves up in a faint smirk, before he spots Ms. Sinister headed their way out of the corner of his eye, and he scowls.

"Nine O'Clock." He says, out of the corner of his mouth. "Something's happening." He... steps forward, into Ms. Sinister's path. Even a couple of seconds of delay can make all the difference in the world, after all - he opens his computer bag and drops a bunch of pens onto the ground. "Whoops! Darn it!"

Scott Summers has posed:
Those guards...

Something's off. His instincts are kicking in. He is aware of Conner's parole for the most part, a poor victim of circumstances that resulted in a poor mutation. Well, transformation would be more like. Cellular regeneration is a carefully guarded secret to be artificially stimulated...and he paid a dear price.

"Certainly. We appreciate the introduction." Scott nods his head, and he moves his eyes to the guards again, making eye contact with one of them or attempting to.

He turns his attention to Charles. "Of course."

And he walks with him carefully and closely. Hearing Charles's voice in his head, Scott doesn't react poorly. It's like a father's hand on his shoulder. "Yeah...I don't like it one bit. Something foul's going on." He spots Gabby, wig and all, in the crowd as well as Douglas. 'Numerous friendlies on site. If this turns into trouble, we have backup.' He informs the Professor. He even notices Lydia, though it's been some time since they've had a discussion.

...But antyhing Essex related can never be good.

Of course, then Douglas is dropping pens. 'Distraction.'

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Breathe. Gabby listens to the words from Lydia recalling the breathing exercises she'd been taught. Inhale. Hold for a count of three. Release for a count of three. Her healing factor helped some with the physical symptoms by slowing her heart rate from the sudden racing it had taken on needlessly. It made recovering a little easier even if her mind was still in turmoil.

Still holding onto Lydia her eyes flutter open to stare at Dr. Conner who had begun to approach out of concern. Instinctively she puts on a smile though it appears more tired than reassuring given the circumstance. "... Sorry," she breathes out quietly. "Anxiety. Crowds. Sometimes it's too much," she explains as a cover for her actions. It wasn't entirely off the mark though usually it was her senses being overwhelmed.

As he'd stumbled, she steps forward to offer a gentle hand catching his shoulder. "Hey, be careful!" She snaps at the guards only to then turn and whisper to Dr. Conner, "Don't trust Alchemax."

It's breif, hopefully as if it had never happened, and she steps back toward Lydia once more as soon as she ensures the doctor hadn't fallen. He wasn't from her time there, and he SEEMED nice if he was concerned about a stranger. A quick warning was the best she could give.

Jamie Madrox has posed:
Jamie turns toward Doug and offers a surprised and questioning hum. His gaze sweeps the perimeter and settles upon the woman with the red jewel in the center of her forehead. Noting the corporate insignia, he takes a step forward... right onto one of the pens. His foot slides out from underneath him, and he topples backwards.

Upon impacting the floor, there are suddenly two Jamie's groaning and rubbing the back of their heads. They both stand and brush their thighs off. Both then lean forward to pick up one of the pens and clock their heads together. Now, four Jamie's have joined the fray.

They simultaneously point at each other and call out with a smirk, "Don't cause any trouble!"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia hangs on to Gabby for as long as it takes for the younger woman to recover from her panic attack. She gives Dr. Conner an apologetic smile and says, "You know how it is. Sometimes it can all get overwhelming."

    There are people moving about. Xavier and Scott she keeps track of, and Jamie's antics are noted. She tries to keep a calm front, almost sensing trouble brewing, but the agitated shifting of the stars in her starfield belies her inner tension.

Cable has posed:
This would all be a little easier if he could simply tap into the full range of his telepathic powers, if he could simply reach out to vacuum up secrets from around the room.

But all things considered he would rather not turn into a raging mass of techno-organic virus in the middle of a crowded convention floor. It's not really a good look, for, well, anyone.

Which is in many respects the difference between his outlook of things, and say the Professor's. While he certainly has a morale and ethical code, many of his limits are enforced more by practicality then that same code.

Still, a quick check of things does seem called for, just to narrow down his field of interest in the crowded hall. Eyes narrow ever so slightly, that electronic eye behind those mirrored sunglasses sweep over the gathered people. While it might be distinctive and difficult to hide, it does perceive much more then a regular, flesh and blood one could manage. That, combined with his telepathic touch -- light as it might be forced to be -- is enough to zero him in on one particular subject of interest.

Dr. Claudine Renko.

No longer simply wandering and taking everything in, Cable begins to walk a little more determinedly towards the heart of the hall, spotting some of those familiar faces already giving an abundance of scrutiny to the abrupt geneticist.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The guards flank Curt even as he hears what Gabby says and gives a nod of appreciation. But likely forewarned doesn't necessarily mean forearmed.. Or forearm in his case. But that is a story for another day.

And Claudine Renko is clearly not having a good day. First a Bugle intern, then some idiot dropping pens.. And she's falling all over them, tumbling over a Jamie. And then to another.. Jamie. Her eyes go wide, "Freak.. Fascinating." Her looking enthralled. "Kinetic contact.." Hand drawing up over into a fist with intent to test that hypothesis.. Drawing back and readying to strike, Douglas ignored.. But, her attention is over on Jamie rather than Doug and she's not commenting about dissection, so maybe a step up?

And then the ground shakes a bit. Several of the attendees stumble as the lights flicker, then the emergency lights kick in. Claudine's attempted punch aimed at Jamie is interrupted as she goes, "What the h**" as the ground shakes once more.

Doctor Conners stumbles again, this time being caught over by one of the guards, "Uh.. Thanks?" He would say..

Then, the trio of guards, and several people over in the room suddenly start to.. Change. Their bodies start to morph. Human features turning haphazard, hideous. Normal skin tones turning to a bloody palette and bodies turning decidedly monstrous.

Charles Xavier has posed:
'I should hope not.' Charles projects to Scott as the duo walks across the Hall floor at a casual clip. 'The last thing I want to have happen is Genetics Conferences getting some kind of marred reputation as being as dangerous as... a biker convention.'

Are biker conventions dangerous? Charles doesn't know. But it sounds good.

He's about half way to the Doctor that he mentioned he wanted to speak to when he feels the presences within the Hall shifting moods toward confusion, with spikes of fear pinging up from where they'd just come from.

Charles stops, and looks back now, to see something indeed unfolding. Something not good. a concerned expression crosses his aged facial features as the Professor looks to Scott.

"I'm going to try and make sure the Hall clears out peacefully, try to support our friends." He states in a calm tone before his eyes glance around, and he takes a step out of the way of foot traffic.

Charles begins to concentrate on everyone's mental presence within the Convention Hall, and he aims to urge them to evacuate, but to do so in a calm and orderly fashion... haste at high priority, but in a way that won't lead to people panic-trampling one another. It's a big order for Charles, one that will leave him vulnerable as he tries to compell the Con largely on the whole, save for those who seem to be involved in whatever is unfolding now...

So much for a civilized day out.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Well this was an unexpected turn of events. Doug was letting Jamie cause chaos as only he knows how using those now-forgotten pens when...

"Oh." Doug says, as he gets a good look right into a Deviant's huge fish mouth and at its giant set of big white Kirby-Teeth.

"...That is so gnarly."

Well he does have a way with words, doesn't he?

He tugs on the arm of the nearest Madrox, and when he gets his attention, he points.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney steps back toward Lydia feeling reasonably safer by her friend's side. She'd also caught sight of the professor and Scott heading off in a direction, and the woman at the Essex booth had vanished from her immediate sight. It was all a bit reassuring in it's own way.

Belatedly she looks to Lydia offering her a faint smile. "Kind of does look like one, doesn't she?" Best to joke. It made things easier. Right now that was exactly what she needed: Familiarity, and jokes. That would be certain to calm her down.

Too bad it doesn't get to happen as things start to shift around the conference hall. Starting with some of those guards right around Dr. Conner.

"Oh fuck me," she utters in a fatalistic tone.

Jamie Madrox has posed:
The Jamies seems momentarily nonchalant about the mutating monstrosities. Instead, one of them points at Claudine and calls out, "You were going to punch me! What the hell!"

Douglas then tugs on the same Jamie's arm, he finally takes in the entirety of the situation. "Oh."

He snaps his eyes back to Claudine and does the universal, 'I'm watching you gesture' then starts scanning his surroundings. "I need... a weapon."

"On it." The other dupes call out, they scatter looking for something suitable.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    This time it's Lydia's turn to seize up, when the guards and people start to morph and change into grotesqueries. "Viscera..." she breaths, her eyes going wide in panic. "No... it can't be. We imprisoned it!" She closes her eyes trying to get the phantom smell of fresh meat out of her nose.

    It's then that she notices that she isn't breathing. Taking a shuddering breath she mutters to herself. "It's not here. It's not here." Another breath in, hold to a three count and out, trying to filter out the noise and commotion.

    Eventually she gets it under control and opens her eyes. "Everybody get behind me!" she orders stepping up, her stars coalescing into a glowing amber wall for civilians to hide behind. First order of business is to get the innocent people out of the line of fire.

Cable has posed:
For a moment Nathan Summers considers Dr. Renko through those mirrored sunglasses, eyes narrowed. While it might not have been intended as a distraction on his behalf, he certainly is not above taking advantage of the situation. A little added diversion of his own and it shouldn't be very hard at all to grab the not so good doctor without anyone noticing, to hustle her out of the way.

Then they can have a... chat, and he can get the information he's looking for. Get better clarity about just what she's up to since her surface thoughts seem rather elusive. It's clear that there has been some pretty extensive work done there -- and Cable wants to know more.

But the sudden ripple of fear that runs through the convention center, the first murmurings of a growing panic ruffle even the grizzled warrior's psychic shields and he glances away sharply as a host of -- well, something -- begin to emerge from within some of the convention goers themselves, changing into much different, much more disturbing forms.

There is little doubt that the briefcase that Cable carries probably has a number of weapons. They might be broken down, they might just be smaller versions of the normally wildly impractical arsenal that he carts around. So while he could certainly bust a few of them out and go to town -- well, he is here undercover. And while the chances that any spy of John Sublime would take notice him is scant, it is a risk that he doesn't have to take.

There may also be crackers in that briefcase as well. Just in case he gets hungry later. They may be of the animal variety. But he doesn't like to talk about that.

Instead, the future soldier makes a subtle motion with his hand and one of the display booths close to one batch of the mutates spawning in their midst suddenly collapses down atop their heads in a clatter of wood, metal braces and fabric.

Telepathy might be mostly off the table, but a telekinetic trick here or there can certainly come in handy.

Scott Summers has posed:
The ground rumbles.

"What the-"

Scott immediately stands guard over Xavier as people start turning into monsters. The pair's thoughts proven correct as the guards transform into some kind of alien/monster-like creatures! "Shit. Professor-" He turns to look at Charles, who gives him his orders.

"Understood."

He reaches into his suit jacket and he pulls out his visor. He closes his eyes to avoid accidental blasting, and he secures his visor over his eyes.

"Stay safe, Professor. I have your back."

He looks around. "Move people!" He calls out. He turns his eyes towards Nathan. "You're up. Keep the fighting away from civilians." He also turns his attention to Lydia as she starts helping get people under control too. His visor glows a brighter shade of red as he targets one of the deviants on Dr. Conners, trying to blast them straight into the wall!

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The crowd rapidly takes Charles' instructions to mind and go to quickly start backing out in an orderly fashion, quickly withdrawing over from the morphing monstrocities. The three seemingly moloids that have positioned themselves around Doctor Conners each reach out to grab him.

Doctor Conners looks morbidly fascinated, "I've never seen such deep cellular degeneration before.."

the Deviant goes to shift it's hand over to an enormous blade, "You will be coming with us. Put up a fuss and we take your legs off and your arm and call you Stumpy." Blade held up to his throat.

Each of the Deviants ignores the crowd - and each of them is making a beeline for any of the conference presenters - advancing in groups of one or two over towards each of the targets. Malleable forms mutating in decidedly grotesque ways.

One looking at Gabby, head cocked. Well, 'head' was a misnomer, it looking like someone had taken a huge ball of teeth and lopped it on top of someone's torso like clay. "You. They made you a meaty wretch-puppet." Conversationally, even. Lydia is seemingly paid no attention, even as it makes no advance towards Gabby.

The Deviant that has Doctor Conners by the throat is slammed into by the optic blast, even as Curt goes to collapse to the ground, hand propping him up. He's covered in sweat and breathing deeply.

Cable finds that, quite possibly to his chagrin, that creative use of his powers to distract and disable is rather effective as it blinds the Deviants, distracting them even as civilians go to scramble out of the way.

One big one goes to advance over on Charles, looking like.. A huge ball of peat moss, a rotting chia pet if one had to describe it. "You look like an egg. Come along or crack you like one."

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug looks up. "They're trying to capture Doctor Connors!"

"Wait. I remember reading something about Curt Connors back when I was in school... what was it?"

Then he goes white as a sheet, and says something that has a big 'CENSORED' bar appear over it. Yeah, it's that epic of a swear.

"Cyclops!" He says into his mic. "You have to knock Curt Connors out. RIGHT NOW. If these things stress him out too much or make him afraid for his life he's gonna--"

Jamie Madrox has posed:
Each of the dupes plus Jamie prime manages to find some kind of improve weapon: a metal chair, a pipe from an exhibit, a fire extinguisher from a nearby wall, and a lasso from a industrial strength power chord.

Next, they start the process of duping once more, a few well placed smacks, and each dupe is now a squad with their chosen weapon.

"Shuffle!" one of the Jamie's calls out, and each changes places to create squads with weapon variety.

"Chaaaaarge!" The horde of Jamies descends upon the nearest deviants: bludgeoning, choking, and spraying with duplicated fire extinguishers.

Charles Xavier has posed:
Charles' goal of getting the Hall to empty in an orderly fashion seems to be working well, and that alone is a relief for the time being. He'd tried to step himself out of direct view of the strange situation unfolding here this afternoon, but when one of the uglier creatures seems to catch sight of him, Charles gives an even stared look back before he reaches over to his side, and grasps hold of a flag pole on the edge of the presentation stage. Charles hoists it up, and spins it around to point the flag toward the creature as it advances toward him.

'It would seem that these things are here for unsavory purposes. I'd much enjoy not having to kill them if possible.' Charles broadcasts now not just to Scott, but to everyone left in the room who is capable of receiving telepathic messages.

In the mean time though, Charles extends a brass flag pole toward the creature moving toward him, and he jabs at it. "I wish you no harm. Stop this, and we will find alternative means to whatever end you are after here." He says as diplomatically as one can while wielding a flag as a defensive weapon.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"It's not that, Lyds, it doesn't smell like that," Gabby assures Lydia in turn having had her own moment of freezing up only a short bit ago. The fact that others were changing around her wasn't a huge trigger for her--but for Lydia it was.

Once the other mutant starts to get the civilians behind her barrier she simply nods flashing her an approving smile. For now, there were more pressing things to deal with than just ensuring she was all right.

Her attention snaps back to the front at that all-too-familiar blast of lasers that slam into the one creature leaving the doctor to fall to the ground. Reaching up she grasps the blonde hair on her head to tear it off and fling it aside with a simple, "Yeah, they kind of did, but I decided not to keep working for them. You should look for new employment, too," she utters in response as her dark hair is let out. It would be easier for other allies to recognize her this way. Disguise was a bad thing in a fight.

With a flick of her wrists she pops her claws out wihch seem to glow faintly in the light. A quick remark of, "Stay down Doc, you're safe!"

With that she leaps forward toward the creature that had been eyeballing her with claws drawn to slash at his shoulders with quick, furious strikes.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    "Thanks, Gabby," Lydia breathes once she gets herself under control. It looks like the civilians are getting clear, having been psychically urged by Xavier to head for the exits. When it's clear that the targets aren't the civilians, but rather Dr. Connors and the other representatives, Lydia lets her forcefield drop.

    She flings out a hand and an amber tentacle flies out in response, rapping itself around one of the deviants near the panicking Doctor and yoinks it right off it's feet. She reels it in, and encases her fist with an amber glow, and with superhuman strength knocks the stuffing out of him, rendering him unconscious.

    She quickly rushes forward to Dr. Connor and raises a hand, a dome of amber ectoplasm protecting the two of them from any other attacks. "Don't worry, Doctor. I've got you."

    Then she realizes that her mother is in the mass of people somewhere. Oh God. She's never going to hear the end of this.

Cable has posed:
Increasingly the convention hall does seem to be clearing of innocent bystanders and while that is good to keep the collateral damage down to a minimum, it also means that it is a little more difficult to pass as just another interested participant in the convention setting.

At least he still avoids going for that weapon.

Maybe the Professor's broadcasted message helps on that front. Maybe it is still strictly a matter of doing what he can to preserve his 'legend'. Either way, Cable seems to be following that 'no kill' dictate, which is certainly not always the case. But then there are still a lot of unanswered questions here. There is no telling whether the transforming people even truly have any control over their actions.

Killing innocents is one line that the future soldier doesn't cross at least.

As the Deviants he trapped beneath the collapsed both struggle to escape the wreckage that pins them to the ground, Cable turns his attention to other targets, looking for those most at risk. For a moment his gaze settles on Dr. Conners and the creatures that seem to rear up to advance on him, but spotting Gabby and Lydia throwing themselves into the fray he instead focuses on the creature that swipes at the brass flag pole that Charles uses to keep it at bay.

Turning to stride in that direction, brief case still clutched at his side, Cable lifts his free hand and an unseen wall of force lashes out. Like a wave of power, chairs are tossed to the side, debris is swept into the air and then it hits the Deviant square in the side, knocking him flying and pinning him to the wall against the far side of the hall.

It isn't gentle by any means, but the creature is still alive. If a triffle battered. And hopefully regretting it's life choices.

Scott Summers has posed:
*Fwooooooooom!*

A red optic blast manages to plow right into a Deviant, smashing them right against the wall as he runs for Dr. Conners! But he stops about halfway when He notices that Lydia has him covered, rushing to the Doctor. But that leaves a Deviant going after Charles.

Not today, jackass.

'Understood' He tells Charles in response, yet he hears something from Douglas: He has to knock Conners out RIGHT THE FUCK now. "I'm on it!"

One problem at a time.

*FWOOOOOM!*

A blast of red energy is coming for the Deviant approaching Charles as the Professor attempts to defend himself. Thankfully, Scott's blasts are concussive rather than sharp or cutting.

His eyes then turn to Lydia. "Calm him down or knock him out!"

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The flailing attacks of the Jamies on the Deviants are quite effective. They can't keep up wiht all of them, even as they go to try to bash, smash, break, and crush! Which likely only results in more Jamies going to barrel on top of them.. At least until one of the larger Deviants goes to take in a deep breath.. And moves to hose down hte immediate area with acid! It goes out o fits mouth over like a hose to hopefully clear out the immediate space!

The big one going towards Charles would grin - like a deformed Grimace made out of mold. "We want those big, shiny brains of your's. All of them. We want to make ourselves better." Apparently even monster'ish bad guys still felt a need to narrate. It was good that some things were cross species! It would grin in an array of teeth pointed outwards, a gaping maw of reversed fangs. "So you can come along nicely, or not nicely." Well, it at least makes the attempt.. RIGHT as Scott blasts it away from Charles and it hits the ground in a KRONK.

The monstrous thing talking to Gabby and Lydia would grunt, "They made you a monster. Be a monster. Take what they made you as and kill them all. Revel in your cruelty." By then Gabby has closed the distance and is slashing over in to it! Whatever 'it' is, it still has sinews, muscles, and bone - and her claws tug out great heaps of it and skewer through it cleanly! Even as it goes to let out a roar and tries to reach up with a giant arm to grab at her if at all possible!

On the ground right as Douglas warns, Doctor Curt Connors is curled up, "No-no-no, I can't, I can't.." Lydia at his side, even with the monsters thrown away from him, stopped from scrambling by Lydia's presence. His arm trying to prop him up so he can crawl away, "No-no-no, not with so many people.." Even as Douglas warns, and his eyes start to shift to a different color.. And a second arm is now propping him up as he goes to slowly crawl upwards. Inside the dome with Lydia as there's less of a man inside now.. And more of a LIZARD.

The Deviants that Cable takes dwon are unconscious. Beaten and broken, but definitely incapacitated. Whatever they are that's close to it. Much of the conference area is clearing out now as people (for the most part calmly) evacuate.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
It's amazing how the ability to read data can give you a damn near approximation of precognition - you just get a really good sense of what's going to happen. The clock ticks... and his warning wasn't in time. Oh well. The only thing you can do now is act.

That big fish-mouth deviant with the big square Kirby-Teeth comes blasting out of a crowd of Jamies (with a couple of them hanging off it) to try and eat Doug, and he lets out a "YEOW!" And grabs the nearest thing at hand - a fire extinguisher - and jams it into the thing's mouth, standing up.

He yanks his hands back just as it bites down... and crushes the extinguisher. There's a FWOOOOOSH of CO2 that goes everywhere and Doug comes out of the cloud, running like hell, as BigTeeth comes tearing after him.

Charles Xavier has posed:
With Nathan and Scott both yielding some assistance, Professor Xavier breathes a sigh of relief when the giant creature is bashed down to the ground. He holds the flag pole out a few moments longer before he sweeps it back in toward his waistline to hold it horizontally in front of him now.

Charles' eyes scan over the situation left, and ultimately come to rest upon the face of Doctor Conners.

Something was wrong. Something very bad.

The flag pole is planted back down on the floor beside Charles' feet, and his right hand comes up to the side of his head...

He reaches in to Dr. Conners mind, and tries to put him down for the time being. Off switch flipped... or so Charles hoped.

Jamie Madrox has posed:
"We've got 'em on the run boys!" One of the dupes calls out followed by the cheers of the others.

One of the dupe then points at the deviants spewing acid. "Take cover!"

A gaggle of nearby dupes all dive out of the way hiding behind random debris and equipment of the conference. One of then dupes holding a fire extinguisher calls out, "Sodium bicarbonate!"

He then yeets his fire extinguisher at the pool acid. A half dozen other fire extinguisher are also tossed. As the acid erodes the metal of the canisters, there are pops as the pressurized Na2CO3 is released. It immediately begins neutralizing.

This consequently causes a few cartridges of the acid normally found in the extinguisher to be left behind, but surely a bunch of whiz kids not not to hurt themselves with those.

The battle then continues, Jamie making up the army while other X-types play more direct roles.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"I am NOT a MONSTER!" Gabby nearly howls in rage and indignation at the very suggestion from the mutated beast she was fighting with. In spite of the anger in her voice her motions are surprisingly calm. Effective. Efficient. Perhaps even brutal... but that's muscle memory training for you.

When the arm comes at her she allows herself to drop to one hand on the floor. A sweep kick might work if she were larger, but without the proper momentum it was pointless. Instead she spins HERSELF around so she ends up behind the creature where she slashes down the back of it's ankles to tear at the achilles tendon.

It's quick, and whether it works or not she's hopped back to her feet to dance a bit further away with a quick glance around to assess what else was going on. From the fallen Dr. Conners who was now a bit reptilian to the Jamie's fighting, even toward Scott and Professor Xavier.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    LIZARD ALERT! LIZARD ALERT! Out of all the things that's happening right now, having a one-armed geneticist turn into a giant lizardman was not on the list of things Lydia was expecting. And now she's trapped under her dome with it right in her face.

    She lets the forcefield go, squawking in surprise before leaping back in using her vampire gifted strength and grace to grab a hold of the jaw of the Lizard. She was intending to use her vampire mesmerism on him, but he goes limp before she can even make eye contact. And now she's holding up an unconscious Lizard by the jaw.

    "Oof," she grunts, gently laying him down and looks around to get a sitrep. It looks like the others have the deviants well in hand, so she stands over the unconscious Dr. Connor and erects her forcefield again.

Cable has posed:
Increasing the situation appears to be well in hand.

Oh, there are clearly still pockets of fighting going on. The Jamies seem to be busy enough beating back the few remaining threats. But increasingly everyone else seems to be fixated on where Dr. Curt Conners writhes on the ground, trying to fight off that transformation into the Lizard.

No one wants to see that.

Starting towards the exit at last, Cable doesn't see a pressing need to linger. He still has a cover to maintain afterall. Just to be on the safe side he does open up that briefcase as he walks, withdrawing one of his smaller, more discrete weapons -- so not the ones that are twice the size of his torso -- and tucks it into his pocket. Just in case. But even as he goes to close up that case, his small package of animal crackers slips free and goes skittering across the floor, sliding beneath the edge of one of the booths and out of sight.

Sometimes you can't go back. No matter how much you might want to. The mission has to come first. But today has taken a heavy toll. Far too heavy.

Grim-faced, the future soldier pauses near the door, just to take one last look at the increasingly ruined convention hall. To make sure that the others have the Lizard situation under control. And maybe, maybe to see if he can spot Dr. Ranko. He still wouldn't mind having a pointed conversation with her.

The pointed part of the discussion might come at the end of his knife. As mentioned, Cable can be direct. Very direct.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
And as Douglas goes to give the BWOOMSH over as the Deviant goes to chase him around to Yakkety Sax and it's blinded by the fwmooshs, there's a CRASH over as various bits of metal from throughout the room go to impact around it's ankles, forming into a series of spikes and nails snapping it into place as it would CRACK back and forth. It's pursuit of Douglas is paused, and there sitting upright is the woman with the red crystal in her forehead. She takes a moment to adjust her hair and sits up.

Her eyes are a pupilless red as they would flash, matching the coloration of the ruby in her forehead. "Now, whatever little thing you are.." She speaks over to the Deviant. "I think that your brains should be pureed but I don't presume the rest of our viewing audience would agree with me now.." Claudine Renko goes to inspect the Deviant, then smiles over at Douglas and takes two fingers up to her dark lips to blow him a kiss.

The Jamies keep it on with the badonk and kabonk as they keep on smashing, running, and bashing, leaving just a pile up of Deviants that are defeated, dumped on, and piled up over in a corner. They're covered over in foam and dropped down. Score one for the amazing ambi-dextrous Multiple Man (Note: He may not be Ambidextrous).

In the dome provided by Lydia, Doctor Conners is well along in his transformation. Skin turning scaly and green, arm growing, labcoat shredding, claws and teeth forming.. Right as the mental blast from Charles goes to hit him. There's a quick fight as the Lizard persona rages, but is suppresesd quickly as Doctor Conners falls unconscious.. The taped off sleeve of his labcoat once again empty.

Gabby goes to slash, tear,a nd rend over into her target. THe Deviant had pushed her buttons - and it's going down. She's slashed, skewred, stabbed, and rended through it as she shish kabobs it. It's left in a state where it's just stumbling on down and collapses to the ground. Hacked and clawed.. And just out.

And facing over with the Soldier From the FAR FUTURE Doctor Renko turns over from Douglas. "I do believe that's my cue to depart. I have nothing to do with whatever's going on." That's said over to Cable even as the melee seems to be all done with. The Deviants are down, there's no major damage, all the civilians are out of the area.. The MIss Sinister moving to saunter her hips to walk away.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
When Ms. Sinister blows Doug a kiss, he makes a face and then holds up a hand to catch it and throw it away. Gross.

He looks at what she did to the Deviant with the big teeth and gives a little shudder, before he says, "Jamie... Jamies - Multiple Men. You OK?"

He goes to check on the others. "Everybody's okay?" He asks. "We good?"

Scott Summers has posed:
Charles is safe.

That's what matters. Professor Xavier's survival and safety is paramount. Without him, the dream becomes crippled. It must never be allowed to happen. With him alright, Scott can turn his attention to other matters. He takes an observation of the entire environment, his tactical mind moving swiftly.

The Deviants are down. Civilians are safely extracted.

All seems to be well. Even if Scott notices Miss Sinister starting to walk away. His hands still hovering near the controls of his visor. "Give me a sitrep." He calls out into the room. He looks at Douglas, nodding softly. "I'm alright."

He looks relieved as Conners goes down, no doubt from a mixture of Lydia and Charles's abilities.

"...now we justm ake sure when Conners wakes up, he doesn't immediately transform."

Jamie Madrox has posed:
At least a handful of Jamies watch Miss Sinister saunter away only to meet the eyes of Jamie Prime crossing his arms and shaking his head in disapproval.

Another Cadre of Jamie use teamwork to lift a booth and toss it at yet another deviant, the booth crossing, smashing, and shattering against the creature but sending it sliding across the floor unconscious.

A lucky Jamie glances down and notices a small package laying pristine upon the floor. He kneels and lifts it up, inspecting it. "Oh... Animal Crackers. Yoink." The dupe stuffs the box of morsels into his coat pocket.

A few other James give Douglas a thumbs up at his query about their safety.

Jamie Prime calls out, "Alright everyone, huddle up!"

The dupes begin to coalesce and slowly they merge into one figure. Well, all except one. One dupe steals itself away, deftly finding a hidden corner. It retrieves the box of animal crackers and begins to tenderly devour them one by one.

Charles Xavier has posed:
Charles remains off to the side of the convention hall, just observing the aftermath of this madness. A sigh escapes him before his eyes finally settle again on where Lydia was interacting with the shape-shifted Doctor. Charles eyes the Doctor's unconscious form for a quiet moment before he reaches a hand in to his pocket to pull out a handkerchief that he keeps folded in his hand, and raises to dab at his browline.

'Scott.' Charles speaks through the mind link once again. 'We have to find a measure of sanity here to try and figure out what has caused all of this. Keep your eyes peeled, this may not yet be over.'

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney steps back to regard the fallen deviant she'd dealt with as it just... is there. It wasn't dead, by far, but it was thoroughly incapacitated. Not dead. Not going to die. Just disarmed in every way possible. Proof to herself at least that she hadn't given up on her morals to take care of it.

Glancing to the side she takes a deep shuddering breath allowing herself to calm down. That ragged edge of anxiety was easier to bear after expending some energy fighting. The claws retract, and she looks around.

Jamies were remerging, Doug seemed okay. The professor was okay, and of course so was Scott. It was odd seing them all after she'd left the school to focus on her own team. Still, in a way the friendly faces were comforting.

Looking back to Lydia she steps forward to try and help her friend get Dr. Conner somewhere safe to recouperate. "Here, let me help."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    When Scott calls for a sitrep, all that training Lydia's done with Mystique kicks in. "Dr. Connor is out," she calls back. "If he Lizards out again, I'm fairly certain I can keep him put."

    She lowers the shield when she sees Gabby coming her way. "Yeah, okay," she says, scooping up the unconscious man by the armpits, letting her friend take the ankles. "There's a sofa over there that looks like it survived. Let's get him on there."

    As they move Dr. Connor she gives Gabby something of a worried glance. "Are you okay? They really tried to press your buttons there."

Cable has posed:
For just a moment as the confusion and chaos begins to wind down, Cable catches a glimpse of Miss Sinister before she makes her departure, eyes narrowed behind those mirrored glasses. Does he believe her that she is not responsible for the sudden transformation here? Anything's possible. It doesn't really matter. Either way, she certainly seems to be a threat. One that has definitely made onto his 'list'.

He could draw that weapon, could take a shot, but Cable takes a quick look at Charles and Scott and slips his hand out of his jacket pocket -- without the high-energy weapon in tow. By the time he glances back, the pale faced woman is gone.

Just as well really. He has his hands full with John Sublime and his mutant trafficking and harvesting program. That has to be his priority. For now. But once he and his Transhumanist movement is dealt with?

Well, that will be a different matter won't it? Next time he might not be quite so inclined to play by the rules.

Slipping out of the venue, Cable finds a discrete place and takes a quick look around. "Greymalkin, bodyslide by one."

The air seems to fuzz over for a moment and then the future soldier is simply gone. Back to his other mission.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
As the fracas ends and cleanup begins, Doctor Conners is unconscious but safe. There are only minor injuries present amongst the crowd, and the damage to the conference hall is minimal (It's New York, no one is going to notice a giant hole). There are no other signs of threats as people are tended to and file out. A short time latter for the attendees it's announced that the third day of teh exhibition will go on - just starting an hour later to permit cleanup. Apparently nerds take this kind of thing in stride.

And for.. Whatever group handles picking up the Deviants? Best not to dwell too much on that.